Captive Wolf (Werewolf Erotic Romance) (Amber in Darkness #1) (5 page)

Trouble
, she thought for the second time that day.
Dark, sexy, trouble.
So why did she have a stupid grin on her face?

Just then, the waitress hurried back with their drinks.

When the woman had departed again, Scott took a long sip from his beer and stared out over the undulating dancers. His posture was casual, in his element, unruffled. Despite the morass of unfocused rage and hungry desire that Amber sensed, he was strangely calm.

Scott nodded thoughtfully as he seemed to come to some kind of decision. "So you both go to school here?"

Starting over with small talk
, she thought. That was a good idea, but what should have been an innocuous question wasn't really a subject she wanted to discuss. When she didn't answer right away, he glanced at her. She could only lower her eyes.

Austin cleared his throat. "I do. Amber isn't right now but she might some day."

She took a long gulp of her Coke.

"Oh?" Scott's eyes shifted, studying them both. "Saving up first?"

"Not exactly." Austin raised his brows. "You looking to attend?"

Scott huffed. "Not here." Then he blinked like the question caught him off guard. "No offense," he said quickly. "I've already got one useless degree."

"None taken." Austin toyed a finger on his chin as he gave Scott a calculating stare.

"Okay." Scott took a deep breath and dropped his hands to the table. "Out with it. What's the deal with you two?"

Austin smirked. "Isn't it obvious—"

"I'm a werewolf—" Amber said at the same time.

The men stared at her for a moment. Then they both burst into laughter.

Her face reddened but she smiled shyly. It was the first time she'd heard Scott's deep barking laugh, but there it was, forceful and genuine. Glancing up at him through lowered lashes, she decided she liked it, though it was obviously something he hadn't done in a long time. Just for a moment, his mood lightened: a spark of flame in the black pit, a break in the storm.

Scott put an easy hand on her shoulder. "Her I get." He turned his head pointedly to Austin. "You on the other hand are still a little murky to me."

Austin hummed to himself. "Let's say I don't turn into a wolf—or any other creature—but I have the same aversion to silver that you do."

"That doesn't tell me much."

"Wolfsbane causes issues for you, while I'm allergic to hawthorn. Though I don't have any hang-ups about sharp sticks."

Scott arched his eyebrow.

"Holy water doesn't bother me. But I'm not fond of fire," Austin continued. "And I only avoid mirrors when I'm having a bad hair day."

"It's amazing what the legends get wrong," Scott said flatly. "You're a vampire."

"Very good," Austin chuckled.

"So sunlight?"

"Isn't a problem." Austin smiled. "Not right now at least."

"He's young." Amber shot an anxious look back at Scott. It felt so strange to be talking to anyone about this. But he was like them, one of them; he had to understand. "He was only recently… turned, I guess you would call it. So he doesn't have a lot of the drawbacks… or powers."

Scott's eyes remained fixed on Austin. "You drink blood?"

"Does that bother you?"

But before Scott could answer, Amber slapped her palm down on the table. She had to make him understand. "Austin's a good guy," she said quickly. "He's okay with animal blood and consenting partners. He's never killed anyone."

Scott took a deep breath, then he crossed his arms. "You do what you need to survive. I get that." He turned back to Austin. "But you're not drinking from me."

Austin closed his eyes. "That's fine." When he glanced up again, his look caught a glint of light. "As you guessed, blood's not the only thing I'm interested in."

"And what else would you be interested in?"

Austin leaned close and whispered, "You."

Scott sat back and chuckled. Then he laughed. But it wasn't anything like his earlier laugh. This time it was dark and caustic, with the biting edge of a serrated blade. His eyes glittered, tracking down Austin's profile as if he were dissecting him, devouring him with his gaze.

Silence lay heavy over the three of them. Austin folded his arms, meeting Scott's predatory stare, his chin jutting up proudly. Amber curled her fingers on the table top, her gaze darting from one to the other, trying to understand, to feel the wordless current between them.

Scott's arousal burned bright and enticing, melding with lurid aggression and pitch-black melancholy. It was too much to make any sense of, this complex seething labyrinth that was Scott, and yet she wanted to lose herself in it. With her heart thudding and heat crawling up her neck, she forgot to breathe for a moment.

Then a strong hand closed over hers. "What about you?"

She looked up at Scott's face with confusion. "What?"

"What do you want?"

You
, she wanted to say, echoing Austin. But she wasn't used to being pursued and didn't know how to handle this. Should she just tell him? Or did he expect something else?

Finally, she looked down at his hand, covering hers. "I don't want to go home tonight," she whispered.
I never want to go back there
, she thought.

"I've got my hotel room." Scott squeezed her hand. "You two want to get out of here?"

A shiver ran up her spine as she stared into his dark eyes. Then she smiled. "Sure."

Austin gave her an enigmatic look before a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

***

As Scott stepped out of the sweltering club, the cool night air blew across his face. But a wave of turmoil rolled through his body, reverberating hard in his chest like a caged beast.

There was more to this than they were letting on. Maybe he was a cynic, but nothing was ever so easy as "we're all creatures of the night, let's fuck." Scratch that, he
was
a cynic. No matter how much the idea appealed to him, there was no "maybe" about it.

It was worth the risk though, for a chance to find out what the two were tied up in. Austin was too cool and composed, like a poker player bluffing on a high card. And Amber was scared of something, and whatever it was, it seemed weighty, significant. The smell of her fear overrode her arousal: a beautiful flower unfurling from a drowning plant.

They weren't going to tell him what was going on up front. That much was obvious. So he would have to warm them up first. And whatever they told him, he'd find a way to help. Leaving now wasn't an option.

Vampires. That part threw him more than he cared to admit. Up until meeting Austin, he hadn't believed they existed. When he thought about it though, there was no reason they shouldn't. By now he'd seen plenty of things that shouldn't exist: grotesque, bizarre, horrors that still churned deep in his psyche. Vampires might be the least of his worries.

It also helped that the boy dripped charm, with an undeniable "fuck me" look etched in his pale eyes. Not at all chilling or heartless, which is what Scott might have expected.

What really swayed him though, was the car. Scott had noticed it on the way in; he'd paused for a moment to breathe Amber's scent from it.

"It's kind of strange," Scott said offhandedly as he straddled his bike. "A vampire driving a 1970 Charger."

Austin glanced back as he opened the heavy passenger door for Amber. She paused before getting in, giving Scott a quizzical look.

Austin walked around to the driver side. "Why's that?"

Scott braced his arms on the handlebars. "Wouldn't a hearse be more your style?"

A peal of laughter broke from Austin's lips. "That would be silly. I feed on the living, not the dead."

"I suppose you're right." Scott eyed the car. "But you should keep it better maintained. That thing's not immortal, you know."

Austin leaned his elbow on the door. "You are very critical of my car. Do you want a ride in it?"

"I wouldn't mind driving it. But no, I'm fine with the bike." Scott gave him a wry grin. "How does it handle?"

"Want to find out?"

Scott raised his eyebrows. "What do you have in mind?"

"A wager."

Scott barked out a laugh. "I'm game. If I beat you down the hill, I get to do whatever I want to you."

Austin pursed his lips. "And if I beat you, I get to do the same."

"Right." Scott squinted. "I'll let you suck my cock."

"Fair's fair."

Scott hummed to himself as he stared down at his motorcycle. The car could blow doors off his two-wheeler but he knew he was a better driver. It was clear enough from the way Austin had let the car go: the exterior was coated in dirt with patches of rust; the seats were faded, torn, and there was a puddle of oil under the engine.

Scott would win. But did he really want to risk letting another man control him? No matter the odds, that wasn't something that came easy to gamble on.

"Or…" Austin brushed one long, lazy finger over the hood of the car, drawing a swirl in the dust. "We could up the ante. Seems obvious to me that the current bet is frivolous since we're already going in that direction. How about something more… substantial?"

Scott tilted his head, following the track of Austin's fingertip on the hood. "You mean your car."

"Sure."

Amber gasped. "Austin! How would you drive me around without it?"

He gave her a sad smile. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

Scott's brows lowered. "You don't want this bike. So what's the other side of this?"

"Your blood."

"I told you—" Scott started.

"Do you want the car?" Austin's eyes bored into him with crystalline intensity.

It was more than Scott had wanted to bargain. A lot more. Discomfort was not an issue. Pain was welcome. But letting himself be drained, fed upon, by a man he barely knew? That would leave him weak. Vulnerable. And that did not sit well with him.

On the other hand he'd been debating about the motorcycle. He traveled light but he still had a suitcase that was just a little too large for the small vehicle. Bungee cords were an option but that would make for a precarious ride. Having a functional car would eliminate those issues. Besides that, he liked the look of the Charger.

Scott looked up, his jaw set in grim determination. "I still get to fuck you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." A small smile curved along Austin's lips.

"Okay. First one to the gas station wins."

Amber glanced between the two of them, her eyes wide with apprehension, bewilderment. And maybe, Scott thought, excitement too.

"You can ride with him, if you want." Austin ducked down into the driver's seat.

Scott raised his eyebrow. Any added weight, no matter how light, would be a disadvantage. Yet as he stared into the conflict, confusion, even longing in her eyes, he wanted her close to him. Pressing against his body. Breathing on his neck. The fire brewed deep in his chest and roared to life in his veins. He could still do it.

"I can't—I mean unless—Is that okay?" She clutched her neck.

"You'll be safe with me," Scott said in a low soothing tone. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Tentatively, she strolled over to him. Then she kicked her leg over the back and settled in behind him.

"Keep your head down against my shoulder and hold on tight." He winked back at her. "Don't worry about breaking my ribs. Just don't let go."

He turned the ignition and the motorcycle roared to life. Then he kicked the stand up, flicked on the headlight, and revved the engine.

The Charger growled in response and the high beams flashed, daring Scott to make the first move.

With Amber's scent filling his nostrils, Scott let off the throttle, spinning the back tire in the gravel. They slid sideways before the wheels bit like a hungry beast, rocketing them onto the road.

The black car shot past them in a whoosh of steel and snarling combustion. But Scott wasn't concerned.

He gunned the bike, hanging in a lower gear until the engine screamed in his ears. Smooth asphalt and painted streaks raced just a few feet under him as the tires gripped the road like a glove, propelling them to a hair-raising speed.

The first corner approached and he leaned over, guiding the bike to the outside lane. It was a dangerous move; the road was only two lanes in opposite directions after all. But he hugged the edge, riding the white stripe just a foot away from the drop off into absolute darkness.

Amber squealed and her arms tightened around his waist, her strength crushing the air from his lungs. Then he crossed the broken center line and leaned the other way, setting up for the next turn.

Austin handled the car better than Scott had anticipated, weaving out and back in through the curving stretch of highway. But he also took bigger risks. On the car's third turn, his right rear tire crossed the edge of the road, spinning it too far to one side. Austin quickly corrected, bringing it back on the road with only a slight fishtail.

It was enough to give Scott the edge and the bike slid up next to the dirty black side of the muscle car. Austin glanced at him with only the hint of a smile.

Headlights flashed in Scott's peripheral vision. With a quick jerk, he brought the bike close to the guard rail as a purple sedan squeaked past them, the side mirror whistling by Scott's shoulder, the blaring horn fading quickly as the sound was sucked down the road. He chanced a look over the rail. His keen eyes picked out the miniature tops of trees at the bottom and the shoestring-like river snaking off into the distance.

Then he was back on his side, leaning into another turn, his knee scraping the black road. The black car was still at his side, the engine blaring out from the wheel well near his face.

Scott gritted his teeth. He wrestled the bike back the other way, balancing precariously between speed and traction on the thin highway. His tires threatened to skid, the motor wailed in agony, and yet he needed more if he was going to win.

Whoever Austin was, there was more to him than he let on. And like Scott, he wasn't afraid of the road.

But the one thing that made Scott's blood boil, was the fact that the vampire didn't act like he was concerned about losing, either. Maybe this whole thing was somehow win-win for the man.